China's exports surged in March as businesses front loaded their orders to avoid higher US tariffs, while imports declined more than expected due to weaker demand, data from customs office showed on Monday.
Exports logged an annual growth of 12.4 percent in March, which was much bigger than the expected growth of 4.4 percent.
Meanwhile, imports fell 4.3 percent annually, worse than economists' forecast of 2.0 percent decrease.
As a result, the trade balance posted a surplus of $102.6 billion in March. This was well above the expected level of $74.3 billion.